Bad news from the movie version (驅魔龍族馬小玲) of ATV’s popular 90s series My Date with A Vampire. It has been 24 long years since the original starring Eric Wan and Joey Meng kicked off a successful franchise, and it was only recently confirmed that a movie which will now star Bosco Wong and Karena Ng in the iconic roles of Fong Tin Yau and Ma Siu Ling is in the works. However, it appear the film’s expected completion of filming this December had to be pushed back. Supposedly, progress for its filming activities has been lagging behind and there doesn’t appear to be an end date in the horizon.
Bogged Down by Multiple Delays
According to Hong Kong media HK01, extra delays allegedly came from producer and screenwriter Robert Chan Sap Sam’s end who is also acting as the film’s director this time. With the stakes very high, this being his debut as a film director, Robert has been very meticulous in getting the “perfect” shot. That means a scene can take 20 to 30 tries before he is satisfied, further adding on to the delay. The director recognises that they’re in a time crunch but he says he doesn’t want to wrap filming just because they’re in a rush. He did say though that funding needs to be discussed once again with the project’s investors. Admitting that directing for the first time is quite stressful, Robert also said he’s enjoying the process.
Nonetheless, time is money and production costs from the delays have added up to the film’s bottom line. Aside from issues of going over budget, it seems filming will have to resume at a later date since it can no longer be completed this month. Scheduling around some of the actor’s projects also appear to be a sticking point. Bosco Wong who plays the main character – vampire Fong Tin Yau is said to have other commitments lined up.
Robert wrote the original screenplay of the series and is actually married to My Date With a Vampire’s original Ma Siu Ling, actress Joey Meng. He mentioned his wife will be playing a cameo in the film.
Source: 1
